Even though the written versions of the Law were passed on through Moses, it is also true that the Ten Commandments were written by God Himself, and, significantly, spoken by God Himself; so that the spoken version (only the Decalogue) was given directly by God, who thus made a clear distinction between the Decalogue and the rest. He intended to show that The Ten Commandments were special and superior.

Again, the adding of a 7th day to the six creation days is very significant. It is because of that divine act that we have a 7-day week, and not a 6-day week.
And why do we have a 7-day week? because the Creator in His loving and wise purposes wanted man to have a Sabbath.
God did not keep that first Sabbath by and for Himself, He kept it with and for man, because, as the scripture says, the Sabbath was made for man.

There is therefore no need for the rest of us to see a commandment telling Adam and Eve to keep the Sabbath, in order for either them or us to know that God wanted them (and us) to keep it as a continuing memorial of the creation, and a special day of fellowship with the Creator.
It is a poor principle of interpretation, used by anti-Sabbatarians, which demands that a specific commandment is seen for a particular activity in a particular part of the Bible, then that activity was not required for that time and place. Significantly, the same rule is not applied for Sunday-keeping. It was apparently invented for the Sabbath – just like it’s bed-fellow, which states that if a particular word is not found in a particular part of the Bible, then the person, thing or activity described by that word was not applicable to that particular time and place.

It’s very bad hermeneutics that has no place among God’s people – at least, those who are serious about representing Him faithfully.

Here are your words

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REPLY -There is no textual support for your notion that “The 7th day Sabbath commandment was not given through an earthly vessel, but came from the mouth of God.” The noun Sabbath and its companion concept do not even appear anywhere in Genesis. Sabbath as a concept and commanded practice came from God through Moses for the first time in Ex. 16.
}

Ex 16 does not present a 7th Sabbath commandment but rather a practical example of the Sabbath. Note, the Israelites were only prohibited from collecting the Manna, but nothing else is mentioned or prohibited.

Exd 16:29 See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.

In contrast the 4th commandment in the 10 commandments has a scope that covers all aspects of reverence to God on the Sabbath.

Exd 20:8 ¶ Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exd 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Exd 20:10 But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates:
Exd 20:11 For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Comparing the 2, the first example given was dealing with food only. Further, this has significant symbolism as Manna being a type of Jesus.

However, the 4th commandment deals with WORK. And as I understand it, the work referred to here is not the scientific definition of work which is any expenditure of energy, rather, this work speaks of one’s occupation, service, or business.

Thus the 4th commandment in the 10 has a far reaching scope which is deals with total reverence for God on the Sabbath day whereas the command to refrain from collecting food on the 7th day was a practical example. (Which explains why Jesus said it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. God never intended for His people to stop every aspect of work technically as the Pharisees enforced, but He commanded to stop work that is for personal gain)

Now for the crux of the matter

Exd 20:1 ¶ And God spake all these words, saying,

………….

Exd 20:19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

What is contained in vs 2-18? Only the 10 commandments.

Here again

Deu 5:4 The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire,

Deu 5:22 ¶ These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.

Again what is contained in between those 2 verses? the 10 Commandments of course!

What I find really interesting is that vs 22 above says that
1. God spake the words to the whole assembly of people (at the foot of mount Sinai)
2. All the people literally HEARD THE VOICE OF GOD
3. God added no more words to this body of the law, the 10 commandments
4. God also wrote them Himself

From this we can see that no human intervention was used to give the 10 commandments to the people, and since this is the first public giving of the entire Sabbath commandment for it’s observance, the 7th day Sabbath commandment was given through the voice of God, written by Him.

And as if to reiterate the significance of this…

Deu 4:33 Did [ever] people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live?

to go even deeper you said

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The noun Sabbath and its companion concept do not even appear anywhere in Genesis.
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The word Sabbath does not appear, but is it accurate to say that the concept is not there?

Gen 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
Gen 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

The theme of rest from work and sanctification is found in the same way in the 4th commandment Ex 20:8-12

The concept is there from creation demonstrated by God

The 10 commandments were all spoken to the people directly from the voice of God.

Thus, the only one who can take them back is, God.

The only thing that God said to an assembly… the 10 commandments.

There is solid textual support for the fact that the Sabbath was given by God personally.

And to boot, the 7th day being SANCTIFIED AT CREATION means that it is that way for all mankind. Thus, even if you choose to reject the 10 commandments, you cannot honestly read your Bible and deny the fact that the 7th day was blessed by God and is still blessed by God.

If the 7th day is STILL A BLESSED, SANCTIFIED DAY – then who are we to refuse to keep it Holy?

REPLY -If you read carefully Lev. 23.4 and following you would realize that the 1st day received prominence from God in that two of his feasts could only be celebrated as holy convocations or Sabbaths on the 1st day of the week (see v.11 and 15-17).
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What I do find interesting is that the ‘two law debate’ is always about one thing, that being the Sabbath. The attempt is always made to show that there is one body of law, just to prove that the Sabbath is abolished. It is like using an air gun to move a speck of dust.

No one has dealt with the point the Brette Elder has raised.

REPLY-I am not sure what this point really is.
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Jesus said that He did not come to abolish the law, but Paul says that He abolished the law of commandments in ordinances.

Mat 5:17 ¶ Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

vs

Eph 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, [so] making peace;

REPLY -Matthew uses ‘law’ to mean not just the Ten Commandments but the whole Torah, the books of Moses. Indeed the expression ‘the law and the prophets’ in the New Testament, describes the whole Old Testament.

The idea of ‘fulfil’ relates to ‘satisfying the demands of ‘ and hints at what our Lord would accomplish on Calvary and in this regard John 19.28-30 is critical.

Though Sabbath-keepers do not seem to realize it, if the text is seen as arguing for the continuing validity of the law then it is every bit of the Law or old covenant that would be still binding since not one smallest part is to be removed!! There is no place for escape by neatly carving up the law into moral, ceremonial and civil and arguing that one part is now not binding, IT IS EVERY JOT OR TITTLE (=smallest part) OF THE WHOLE LAW OR NOTHING!

What is not appreciated when this text in Mt. 5 is cited is the time limitation expression ’till all is fulfilled’. This means that the Law, the Torah, would have validity until its purpose is realized. Once that purpose is realized then the whole Law would cease to be operative.
Re Eph. 2:13-15
V. 13 – in Christ Jesus, by the blood of Christ we were brought together
V. 14 – Jesus in his flesh (by his death) united Jew and Gentile, making them one, having destroyed, pulled down, broken up [Gk. luō], the barrier or the dividing wall. What was this barrier or dividing wall?
V. 15 – having nullified, cancelled, destroyed, abolished, done away with [Gk. katargeō] THE LAW WITH ITS COMMANDMENTS AND REGULATIONS. Why did God drop this bombshell? Same v.15, in order that he might unite to bring peace
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Did the Bible writers understand that there was some distinction?

Claiming that the words “moral law” are never found in the Bible is true, but the same is true for the word “rapture”. We do have an understanding that we use terms that are comfortable for us in our understanding to refer to the things in the Bible, even though the terms themselves cannot be found in scripture.

But above all, why do we continue to bash the Sabbath and not marriage? Both were given in a perfect world before sin. They both are intimately connected in their meanings. If you can refuse the 7th day Sabbath -the day that God blessed and sanctified- then you have grounds to reject marriage as God gave it at creation.

REPLY -Christians live by the New Covenant requirements found in the New Testament and marriage is encouraged in the words of Jesus in Mt. 19 and by Paul in 1 Cor. 7.
Sabbath as a commanded practice cannot be found in God’s rest at creation mentioned in Genesis. We must never confuse what is described in scripture with what is prescribed. Genesis 1 simply describes what happened at creation and mentions in Gen 2. 2-3 that God rested on the 7th day. The text nowhere says or suggests that God’s rest was prescribed for anybody else prior to Ex. 16.
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Gen 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

If the Sabbath day was blessed at creation, then every subsequent 7th day is a blessed day. God never changed this. And the only one who can change that is God. The 7th day Sabbth commandment was not given through an earthly vessel, but came from the mouth of God. Thus, only the mouth of God can reverse the command for the Sabbath. But we know God would never do such, as He never changes. Whereas, He gave the ‘law through a mediator’ for a time because of sin, the Sabbath command was given without a mediator and goes beyond sin

REPLY -There is no textual support for your notion that “The 7th day Sabbth commandment was not given through an earthly vessel, but came from the mouth of God.” The noun Sabbath and its companion concept do not even appear anywhere in Genesis. Sabbath as a concept and commanded practice came from God through Moses for the first time in Ex. 16.
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What I do find interesting is that the ‘two law debate’ is always about one thing, that being the Sabbath. The attempt is always made to show that there is one body of law, just to prove that the Sabbath is abolished. It is like using an air gun to move a speck of dust.

No one has dealt with the point the Brette Elder has raised.

Jesus said that He did not come to abolish the law, but Paul says that He abolished the law of commandments in ordinances.

Mat 5:17 ¶ Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

vs

Eph 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, [so] making peace;

Did the Bible writers understand that there was some distinction?

Claiming that the words “moral law” are never found in the Bible is true, but the same is true for the word “rapture”. We do have an understanding that we use terms that are comfortable for us in our understanding to refer to the things in the Bible, even though the terms themselves cannot be found in scripture.

But above all, why do we continue to bash the Sabbath and not marriage? Both were given in a perfect world before sin. They both are intimately connected in their meanings. If you can refuse the 7th day Sabbath -the day that God blessed and sanctified- then you have grounds to reject marriage as God gave it at creation.

Gen 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

If the Sabbath day was blessed at creation, then every subsequent 7th day is a blessed day. God never changed this. And the only one who can change that is God. The 7th day Sabbth commandment was not given through an earthly vessel, but came from the mouth of God. Thus, only the mouth of God can reverse the command for the Sabbath. But we know God would never do such, as He never changes. Whereas, He gave the ‘law through a mediator’ for a time because of sin, the Sabbath command was given without a mediator and goes beyond sin

Quoting from Chapter XIX,

“I. God gave to Adam a law, as a covenant of works, by which he bound him and all his posterity to personal, entire, exact, and perpetual obedience; promised life upon the fulfilling, and threatened death upon the breach of it; and endued him with power and ability to keep it.

II. This law, after his Fall, continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness; and, as such, was delivered by God upon mount Sinai in ten commandments, and written in two tables; the first four commandments containing our duty toward God, and the other six our duty to man.

III. Besides this law, commonly called moral, God was pleased to give to the people of Israel, as a Church under age, ceremonial laws, containing several typical ordinances, partly of worship, prefiguring Christ, his graces, actions, sufferings, and benefits; and partly holding forth divers instructions of moral duties. All which ceremonial laws are now abrogated under the New Testament.

IV. To them also, as a body politic, he gave sundry judicial laws, which expired together with the state of that people, not obliging any other, now, further than the general equity thereof may require.

V. The moral law doth forever bind all, as well justified persons as others, to the obedience thereof; and that not only in regard of the matter contained in it, but also in respect of the authority of God the Creator who gave it. Neither doth Christ in the gospel any way dissolve, but much strengthen, this obligation.”

We should also note this interesting distinction in the NT, of course without the actual use of the words “moral” and “ceremonial”‘

“Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.” 1Cor. 7:19